Nolina Minj

2 weeks ago | scroll.in | Nolina Minj

On the morning of March 7, hundreds of Adivasis dressed in traditional garb formed a human chain in the city of Ranchi. The chain stretched across two kilometres, from Harmu chowk to Argora chowk, a route through which Jharkhand’s chief minister Hemant Soren was expected to pass on his way to attend the budget session of the assembly.

3 weeks ago | scroll.in | Nolina Minj

Early on the morning of March 3, Mahesh, a 34-year-old resident of Rourkela, in Odisha, reported at the district sports complex in the town of Sundergarh, to take a physical test for a government job. For the test, he would have to walk or run 25 km within four hours. The test, conducted by the Odisha Subordinate Staff Selection Commission, was held jointly for the posts of forest guard, forester and livestock inspector. More than 8,000 aspirants had applied for 2,712 vacancies.

1 month ago | scroll.in | Tabassum Barnagarwala |Nolina Minj

When 24-year-old Vishal Kadam visited the Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya last January, he was keen to see the spot where the Buddha is believed to have attained enlightenment. What caught Kadam’s eye, however, were idols of Hindu gods and goddesses in corners of the temple compound. “There was very little of the essence of Buddhism,” Kadam said. “There were so many priests performing pooja and claiming they could solve the problems of the pilgrims through rituals,” he said.

1 month ago | scroll.in | Nolina Minj

Nearly three decades after Parliament enacted a law to empower gram sabhas in Adivasi areas, Jharkhand is slowly inching closer to finalising draft rules required to implement the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. However, the draft rules circulated among civil society groups in December have ignited a debate as many activists have pointed out that they are not based on PESA. Instead, they draw upon a different state law – the Jharkhand Panchayati Raj Act, 2001.

2 months ago | commonground.stck.me | Vaishnavi Rathore |Nolina Minj

Hello,On January 18, Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued 65 lakh property cards to residents of more than 50,000 villages across India. On the occasion, he said, “Our government through the Svamitava yojna has made the people of our villages so capable that it can completely transform Indian rural life.”The Svamitva scheme was launched in 2020, and aimed to use drones to map inhabited rural areas in the country.